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How Is Today’s Warming Different from the Past?
- randomgyatwork 10y agoPeople always talk about the last 100,000 years as though that is a good scale to talk about this issue. Reality is, current global warming is part of a cycle that has existed way longer than us. Our real problem is that we are speeding up a process, not creating it.
- WorldMaker 10y agoWhereas reaching to greater than 100,000 year cycles is a giant red herring at this point as well. We're dealing with an unprecedented rise within less than a 100 year period, regardless of whether or not this is some "ancient cycle", it's a very frightening thing and we should very much be doing something about it. Playing a blame game at this point about who "created it" versus "sped it up" seems a bit like playing hot potato with a live grenade. Edit to clarify: unprecedented - in our species' history, in our species' survival to date. That's a part of the focus on the last 100,000 years.
- randomgyatwork 10y agoThat could be part of it, though there is the potential that we couldn't stop it even if we tried.
- WorldMaker 10y agoWe might have to at least try, won't we? What's the other option, roll over and accept mass extinction?
- randomgyatwork 10y agoAlso, with this different framing, it might be possible to get the deniers on board with the idea that there is a problem.